Assume nothing. Do exactly what the application says. If there are no specifications on type or size of font, then do whatever you want. Keep in mind though who your audience is, don't pick a font that could be deemed unprofessional, or that is too small to be read easily. The Adcoms go through thousands of applications, don't get put in the reject pile because your application is too hard to read. Just my opinion....If your still paranoid, call the admissions office, they will tell you...

In MS Word, you can sometimes save yourself a line or two by turning off "orphan control." This is what causes the program to drop multiple lines down a page if there is only going to be a single line on the following page. Also, if it doesn't say specifically 12pt, then I would just drop the font down to 11.5.

WayBryson wrote:In MS Word, you can sometimes save yourself a line or two by turning off "orphan control." This is what causes the program to drop multiple lines down a page if there is only going to be a single line on the following page.

Why did I never know about this before....

I didn't use Times New Roman and, as far as I could tell, none of my applications specified that you had to use Times New Roman. (I hope...) Times Roman is incredibly similar to Times New Roman, so if the application doesn't say anything otherwise, you should be fine. Don't use a sans-serif font.

WayBryson wrote:In MS Word, you can sometimes save yourself a line or two by turning off "orphan control." This is what causes the program to drop multiple lines down a page if there is only going to be a single line on the following page.

Why did I never know about this before....

I didn't use Times New Roman and, as far as I could tell, none of my applications specified that you had to use Times New Roman. (I hope...) Times Roman is incredibly similar to Times New Roman, so if the application doesn't say anything otherwise, you should be fine. Don't use a sans-serif font.

I stuck with times new roman but why no sans-serif font? I'd think that would make it easier to read.

In general: you don't have to use a particular font or size as long as it is easily readable. I straight up switched to 11pt font on mine with page limits because I've read multiple places that it was ok as long as you don't go smaller than 11.

shanshan333 wrote:I have a question that may help the OP. Are you allowed to play with the margins a smidge?

info on this would be helpful. i know harvard says specifically 1" margins, but I haven't seen any other apps that say anything about margins. even on my harvard ps I have 1" margins on all sides but the top, where I have a .16" header and .84" margin (.16 + .84 = 1", so A-OK right?)

If the application suggested particular margin sizes, I followed the rule. If the school doesn't express a rule, I think it's fine to slightly tweak the margins. That's what I did. Something like .85 or .90 shouldn't attract unhealthy attention.

shanshan333 wrote:I have a question that may help the OP. Are you allowed to play with the margins a smidge?

info on this would be helpful. i know harvard says specifically 1" margins, but I haven't seen any other apps that say anything about margins. even on my harvard ps I have 1" margins on all sides but the top, where I have a .16" header and .84" margin (.16 + .84 = 1", so A-OK right?)

I was thinking about going .8 on some that require 12 font.

I would just stick with standard margins. If they're reviewing your PS alongside others that use standard margins, or if they're reviewing your PS alongside your resume that uses standard margins, then any deviation might stand out. There has got to be a way you can cut out some words or sentences to meet the page limit. I cut my three page PS down to two for the schools that require two-pagers, and it actually turned out better.

shanshan333 wrote:Call schools when in doubt. A lot of people have been having length issues and all people seem to say is, follow instructions. Well I just called some schools that said it would be okay to go a couple pages over and they would appreciate the additional information.

A couple pages over? It's only supposed to be a couple pages in the first place. If they really wanted more information, why wouldn't they raise the page limit?

I still think it's a bad idea to ignore instructions, regardless of what the secretary in the admissions office says.

Is the PS being cut specifically for the schools with the worst length requirements?

My shortest limit was 11-point font and I was about three letters under the limit so I didn't have to do anything, but I probably would have chopped tiny things for a school only if they wanted 12-point font.

Yeah, I actually just made a "short" version of my PS instead of making it shorter to fit the shortest requirement. Then I got to include the things I wanted to say for most schools, and UCLA got the watered down version.